Citation

DeLisi M. J. Crim. Justice 2001; 29(2): 101-106.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0047-2352(00)00085-4

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study introduces the Affordable Hypothesis, an idea suggesting that whites can afford to harbor violent beliefs in interpersonal and criminal justice system situations because of their generally vicarious involvement in such violence. Conversely, blacks do not foster violent beliefs (contrary to the black subculture of violence thesis) because their relationship with such violence is substantially more real based on offending and victimization data. Using aggregated GSS data 1972-1996, whites were found to have more violent beliefs than blacks in interpersonal and criminal justice system situations net a variety of controls. Implications from these findings are discussed.